You get what you pay for, or why Macs are better
About 3 weeks ago, my mom went shopping for a laptop. Of course, I suggested getting a Mac. She said they didn’t want to spend the money on a Mac, and they were at the store looking at some Dell laptops for around $700. I’ve already posted about my experience trying to get this laptop on their Wi-Fi network at home. Turns out, it only too less then a month for them to regret their decision. I got a call yesterday say she was returning the laptop, and stopping by the Apple store today to pick up a Macbook.
People talk about the “Mac Tax” when in fact, you are simply getting a better computer. It just works. She’s had her iMac for over 3 years, and never had an issue. During that time, they have gone through several PCs, totaling more than the iMac that has lasted 3+ years and counting. If you buy cheap equipment, with second level parts inside, you get what you pay for. A cheap computer that lasts about as long as any other cheap thing you purchase.
I find it funny that within 3 weeks, they decided that they hated Vista, didn’t like the quality of the laptop and wanted to switch over to a Mac. It will be their first Mac laptop, so it should be interesting to see how that experience goes in the coming weeks. It will also be her first experience with Snow Leopard. Her iMac is still running Tiger, which I need to take care of in the near future.
I’ll play devil’s advocate here. Though I love Macs, and truly do believe they are worth the price-tag, I’ve been working for the past 8 months on a $179 refurbished EEE PC. My only gripe? The left mouse button got sticky for a few days until I got the courage (anger) up to knock the proverbial “shit” out of it.
It has had no hardware failures. Streams video nicely. I am able to do all of my coursework on it (which was the intent of purchase), and it cost less than most cell phones.
I suppose the above is in support of your statement in a way. You do get what you pay for, but only if you know what you’re buying. Walking blindly into a retail store and laying down cash is likely not the best purchase plan for any bit of complex machinery. That being said, there are deals on both sides of the fence that are compelling.